Joliet Central High School
Joliet, Illinois
Teacher: Michael Reilly

 

The Vague Transition

by Sarah Gerencher
GRADE 11

What is a child? When can one be considered an adult? Apparently, there is too much confusion about today's youth. Therefore, the vague transition from a child to an adult does exist. And it seems that teenagers are rather ignorant and indiscreet of what life is really about (morals). "It takes life to love life." Overall, young people lack plain love and care about life. Why? Maybe society is just living too fast. Truly, it is easy to state the problems but solutions are essential for improvement. For this reason, a rite of passage is needed.

  First of all, rites of passage did exist in previous years. American Indians are an example of people who were expected to complete certain tasks to prove they were brave and worthy of being an adult. Young American Indians needed to know how to fish and hunt in order to survive. Family was also important to many tribes, especially grandparents. However, times have changed. Money is valued more than anything today and family doesn't even matter. In addition, grandparents are now sadly neglected and put into nursing homes. Overall, American Indians' rites of passage were valuable and basic for survival. On the other hand, our society looks for the easy way out. Technology has replaced the old ways of living.

  What is an adult? According to the dictionary, an adult is a man or a woman who is fully grown; a mature person. Hence, the key word is mature. But childish and irresponsible grown-ups live and that is why divorce is common today. For this reason, children are overlooked, confused and unsatisfied. Sadly, too many of these young children turn into rebellious teenagers. These teens take the sudden shift from adolescent innocence to involvement in drugs, alcohol, sex and violence. However, these acts do not fill the role of the right of passage.

  Parents are the very first role models children have. It is important that parents set the foundation for children at the very beginning. This is the same thing as saying that carpenters can't build anything unless there is foundation on which it is to be built. So, before parents start to mold the child, parents need to set the groundwork first. Thus, that child will never forget what is right from wrong for the rest of their lives.

  ‘The road to destruction is paved with good intentions.’ Too many parents are unprepared and naive in how to be the best parent. This mostly pertains to teen parents because they are very common today. They are simply a child having another child. Even though good intentions exist, if not mentally and financially ready then they will not effectively survive the parent life. Therefore, the rite of passage should be educational and prepare individuals for the real world.

American youth is a very profound subject. It is very hard to be general about the maturity levels of children. Today's youth seems to vary on how they dress, what they believe in and how they live. However, it doesn't matter who you are, problems exist in Family values are not known anymore. People simply give up and do not even try to solve their problems. everyone's life and conflict is a part of life. But many can't handle the stresses of life. Maybe the rite of passage should not pertain to just youth but to the families as a whole socially, mentally and emotionally.

  Nevertheless, solutions are needed just as well as speculation. However, it will take plenty of time and patience to alter our society socially. It seems that there is not as many social programs as there is financial programs. Truly, people today need help mentally. In addition, we are living in a fast paced world. And if we ignore the problems now then we will be in a bigger hole in the future.

  Also, if change is necessary, programs need to be required for families. Teenagers should not be the targets of problems. We need to look at the world as a whole and see what is creating teenagers to be rebellious and why doing adult acts is there way. The problems may be the irresponsible parents, the programs on TV or the environment of drugs, abuse and violence. Society is responsible for the way teenagers are if we allowed teenagers to be subjected to it all. Also, we do too much talking about the problems and not enough doing. Something needs to be done and programs for families should be in existence before it is too late. Social activism is needed because talk is cheap. All in all, nothing is impervious if we believe in ourselves.

  The rite of passage should be programs that individuals and families have to go through to be the mature adult. Programs should consist of parenting, child psychology, budgeting, counseling and transcendentalism for life understanding. These programs should be mandatory for that is what a right of passage is. People are willing to change but don't have the help to do it. Therefore, multiple programs would be successful for most people in life.

  ‘Child is father to the man’. Remembering the experience as a child will help parents teach children the ups and downs of life. But many parents forget what it is like to be a teenager. Parents need to be open-minded and understanding.  

  In conclusion, graduations, turning eighteen, getting a job, marriage, having kids and retiring does not fit the role of the right of passage. These are not required but accepted as the American way. To give teenagers challenges and opportunities of life, programs are fundamental to fine-tune their ways of living, their beliefs and their outlook on life. But teenagers are not alone, adults are childish as well. So, programs should be mandatory for everyone. Thus, families will unite (not guaranteed). Teenagers do not become adults overnight. Therefore, funding and organization of these programs will take time and patience. It is time we put thoughts into action. 

  Answers To Questions

  Q1- What does Margaret Mead say at the start of her 1961 Preface to Coming Of Age In Samoa that is reminiscent of a current Army recruiting commercial?

  Margaret Mead is saying that young people need to be all they can be. "Be all you can be" is the slogan of the Army recruiting commercial. She is also saying if the future lies in the hands of today's youth, irresponsibility and unprepared individuals will exist in the future. The future needs the best and the strong.

  Q2- Which of the following issues of the 1920's are no longer issues today?

   1. The importance of the language spoken in the home

   2. Familial pressures on children

   3. Misconceptions about race and color

   4. The effects of artificially separating children from a knowledge of birth, love and death

 All four of  these issues of the 1920's listed above are still issues of today. These issues will probably exist forever because humans are not perfect.

  Q3-Do you agree with Margaret Mead that "culture is man-made and that man is free to design it closer to the desires of his own heart"? What definition of "culture" do you find in your dictionary?

  I believe that "culture is man-made and that man is free to design it closer to its own heart" in the previous years. On the other hand, culture today is concrete. The beliefs, customs and arts are already known and practiced throughout the world today. It would take an awful long time if man were to change the cultures of now. However, if man were to create a new culture from scratch, people who believed in it would be needed for it to be successful. According to the dictionary, culture is the act of developing intellectual ability with education; a form of civilization, particularly the beliefs, arts, and customs.

  Q4- In her writings Margaret Mead was advocating:

     1. a return to primitive ways
   2. greater knowledge and control over the civilizing process
    3. an integration of the primitive and civilized
   4. none of the above

In Margaret Mead's writings, she was advocating an integration of the primitive and civilized.

Q5- Comment on Susan's speech (page 60 A Tribe Apart) Do you and your peers really want adults to recognize what is going on and to enforce "boundaries and structure"?

Susan's speech is definitely the truth. Teachers and everybody that listened to he speech didn't want to face the fact that they were dumb. The truth hurts but it needs to be told and that is what Susan did. The information in the speech is probably very common in many schools today. It is definitely common in my school. I feel that she has a very good point about how parents and teachers are naive and easily fooled. I am sometimes shocked at how teenagers get away with acts involving drugs. Overall, her speech was very good because the truth was revealed.

"Boundaries and structures" are definitely needed. I hate to go to school and identify the people that are addicted to drugs. They may be only acquaintances but it really hurts me to not know why they do it. They are only abusing themselves. I really think adults need to set "boundaries and structure" because it is for the best. But too many adults can not control teenagers that do drugs because they have no idea as to where and who they are with most of the time. Most teenagers that do drugs are uncontrollable and many parents simply give up.

Q6- Write three things that you "absolutely, positively know, saw or experienced concerning drugs and alcohol among" students at your school. 

First, I absolutely know that majority of the students at school have experienced drugs or alcohol. Second, I have saw students at my school get drunk at parties. One party held at a student's house even when parents were home. Lastly, I actually know someone in particular that has come to school high. All in all, alcohol and drug use is very common among teenagers today.

Q7- Do you have a solution for the "plight of the black teenager"? (page 88 A Tribe Apart)

Society needs to change. The black teenager can not really do anything about racism. He is not doing anything wrong. There really is know solution to generalizations or racism other then they need to stop existing.

Q8- Would it be a relief if all you had to do was "go to classes and learn"? Would you be happy if you were home-schooled or attended a single-sex private school where academics were presented in an exciting way and learning was admired even by peers?

In a way it would be a relief if all I had to do was "go to class and learn". But it will never be that way. However, I would not be happy if I was home-schooled or attended a single-sex private school..... The reason is because the person I am today would not exist if I didn't attend a public school. Sure, there are annoyances in class and unrelated situations you have to deal with but that is what has made me strong. Also, academics do not have to be presented in an exciting way to make students like it. We do not always need to be entertain.

Q9- Comment on the line from Pete Seeger: "Schools are like prisons because they don't teach you how to live." and Jonathan's comment "People in school are dulled by the remoteness to the real world." Would more classes incorporating community-based learning be helpful? (incorporating activities with relevance to actual real life situations)

I do not think schools are necessarily like prisons. Schools are there for learning urposes only. We learn about algebra, biology, history etc. However, these subjects do not teach us how to live at all. Therefore, we are limited as to what we have to learn in order to graduate. That is the way schools have been. Jonathan's comment is very true. The real world is not about geometry or about history class. Many students are blind to see that knowing every vocabulary word on a English test is not really what life is really about. Therefore, students need to be exposed  to nature or transcendentalism beliefs.

Yes, classes incorporating community-based learning would be helpful. It would not hurt to have a class that could be used in real life situations. This is what teenagers want. They are very curious as to what life is really all about. So, we should let them know.

Q10- Comment on the "bottom line" (page 364 A Tribe Apart)

I agree with this strongly. Children need love. Therefore, good role models are essential to capture a child's attention. The world is consist of liars and hypocrites and that is what the child sees. If a child is exposed to irresponsible and uncaring adults, they will be very impervious. Therefore, children  need strong and loving relationships with parents and other family members.